Memories
by valeda
Summary: He wasn't used to having a someone to go home too and she understood that. Sasuke and Sakura short stories.
1. Home

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto._

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**Home**

He came back once a year for the memorial festival.

Sasuke stood outside of the gates of Konoha knowing that he needed to thank his lucky stars that he wasn't rotting in prison. Everyday was a miracle in that fact, and he tried to at least enjoy it. With everything there was to reflect on, and the amount of redemption he was seeking, it would be a while before he could walk in the gates without feeling guilt.

Every year there was a festival, which was a joint effort between the Rokudaime and the other kages. A new village was chosen every year to host the festival, and Konoha was up that year. Suna had been the first host, considering that Gaara had been one of the leaders of the world nin army, and it had been a week to remember.

Sasuke had attended that festival too, bot more to pay his respect to the dead than to join in the celebration. In the end, he had ended up sitting in a ramen shop with Naruto and Sakura. He had visited briefly with the rest of his former classmates, but now he felt more like an outsider than one of them. Team 7 accepted him without question, but the rest of his associates treated him with an awkward politeness that was exhausting.

Beside all of that, he had a new problem now.

At least in Sunakagure, he had stayed an inn without any trouble. He had more than enough money from his family and doing odd jobs on his travels that he could stay and do whatever he wanted. But staying at Konoha was a different story. An inn was seem fine, but people were still awkward about him and didn't trust him. His family home was gone, so that was out of the question. The Uchiha compound had been long boarded up and closed, none of the houses were even liveable for the homeless. He supposed Naruto would offer, but Sasuke wanted to avoid that option if possible. As much as they were comrades, there was no way that he could handle Naruto on a full-time basis.

He technically wasn't really a ninja anymore, so the soldier barracks were out of the question.

It was a predicament that he had been contemplating for the last few days. He knew it was a simple problem and something he didn't need to dwell so much on, but it the idea had completely filled his brain.

So, now he was back to square one. Staring at the gates of Konoha, he realized that even though he was home there was really no where for him to go. He figured his only option was to ignore everyone else and just stay at an inn. With a sigh, he headed towards the gates.

"Sasuke?"

He stopped, and turned to face the voice behind him. Sakura watched him with wide eyes, a backpack on her shoulders. "Sakura."

"You came back." She looked tired but there was a small smile on her face, "I just returned from a nearby town. There was a baby born last night and they needed a little help."

"Was everything okay?"

Sakura nodded, "It worked out." She headed towards the gates, "Man, am I tired. I've been up for the last two nights, and then I had to travel quickly to be back here for the festival preparations. At least I have a little time to rest. Did you just get back into town?"

He nodded, walking beside her. "I just arrived myself."

"How have your travels been?"

She knew that he was traveling as a way to see the world and redeem himself. He wasn't really sure if any amount of good deeds would make up for his actions in the past, but he could at least make a difference for the better. It also allowed him to keep an ear to the ground in case any threat tried to resurface against Konoha and it's allies.

"Well."

"That's good," Sakura stretched her arms over her head, "Are you glad to be back?"

It was a loaded question. It sounded innocent, like she was just making conversation, but in reality he knew that she meant many more things by it. Was he really glad to be back in a village he once hated? Was he glad to see the people that now treated him like an outsider? Was he finally getting past all his previous feelings and truly glad to be back in Konoha?

Was he glad to see her?

Sasuke thought for a moment. Among all his past transgressions, he was never a liar.

"Yes, I'm glad to be back."

There was a small smile on her face that he noticed as her barrier. It was like she was happy but didn't want to look too hopeful about it. It was only there for a second, and then it was gone. It was covered up by a grin that he new was just for show.

"So," she chuckled, "Where are you going to stay?"

Sasuke shrugged, "I thought about staying with Naruto-"

She burst out laughing, "That's rich. He'd drive you nuts. You'd think as he gets older it would mellow him out, but..." she chuckled again, "Plus, he has a girlfriend. You can't cramp his style, Sasuke."

"Does he now?"

"Hinata," she grinned, this was a happy grin, "I'm so happy for her. She's been after him for a while."

"Maybe I'll stay at an inn."

She stopped in front of a simple house. It wasn't in the main part of Konoha, but it looked inviting. She glanced back at him, "Here's my place. I moved out of my parent's a few years ago. It made sense considering I was away a lot and sometimes I have to leave at weird times at night."

Sasuke stared at her place. There were gardens in the yard and in the box window. It was nicely kept and well maintained. Not the largest house he had ever seen, or the most expensive, but it suited her and her needs. She was obviously very proud of it.

"Sasuke, you don't need to stay at an inn, you know."

He glanced at her and the small smile was back.

"I don't?"

She turned towards him, "Would you like to stay with me?" she asked, "You're more then welcome to stay."

Sasuke shook his head, "I don't want to inconvenience you. I don't want to interfere with your work."

"You won't be an inconvenience." Sakura told him, "You are always welcome here, Sasuke. You don't need to stay at an inn. You can always come here because you are always welcome in my home."

He looked back at her and the house. There was something about the whole thing that seemed right.

"Okay."

Sakura gaped at him, "Okay? Really?"

"Sure."

She stared a moment, shocked that he had agreed. Sakura slide her backpack off her shoulders, "Okay, then. I'll make us something to eat. It's afternoon and I'm starving."

"That would be good."

She unlocked the door and turned back to Sasuke. He slipped his shoes off and pulled his own bag off his shoulders. "Hey?"

He looked up at her.

"Welcome back, Sasuke."

It had been such a long time since he had a place to come back to. It had been years since anyone had welcomed him home or had even cared that he had come home. Sakura held the door open for him, a relaxed, honest smile on her face.

Maybe, this was a good idea after all.

"Thanks."


	2. Join In

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto._

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**Join In  
**

The festival was in full swing.

The village was full of people from all over. Music and laughter filtered into his mind, sounds of true peace that Sasuke let settle into his soul. Even in the lowest points of his life, a part of him dreamed about peace and contentment. He wanted a place where he could go without pain and sadness. Nights like this were the ones that made him feel like his life was more than hardship.

He had been staying with Sakura for the last few days, and they had reached an easy truce.

"You're standing here like you expect someone to start stoning you."

Sai was a dick. They had come to some easy truce since after the war. Sasuke had to accept the fact that Sai was a good friend of Naruto and Sakura, even if he was supposed to be the replacement. He had to acknowledge that the former-Anbu ninja was quite skilled, and Sasuke understood that Sai was a powerful warrior, but that didn't mean they had to like each other. In fact, Sai treated Sasuke like he was some black-sheep relative that he was forced to spend time with, which probably wasn't a total lie.

At the end of the day, Sai was as much a part of Team 7 as Sai. They had the same friends, the same teacher, and that meant Sasuke had to deal. He had even returned to Sakura's house the previous evening to find them drinking tea and chatting on the front porch. Apparently, Sai had been asking advice on how to ask Ino out. They had froze and fell silent when Sasuke had stepped into the clearing.

Sakura had welcomed him back.

Sai had glared at him with enough spite that, if it was possible, he could have lite Sasuke on fire with his eyes.

Sasuke sat on the edge of a step at the cafe, sipped his tea, and frowned, "You may not be too far from the truth."

There was laughter coming out of the grill restaurant across the street. Sakura had mentioned that she was meeting the whole gang for a reunion, and they were all ordering barbeque. Even Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro were visiting and had decided to join them. She had said that no one would mind if he came, but Sasuke doubted it.

Laughter rang out through the window, and he could hear Naruto yelling at someone. There was something things that never changed.

"You could go in, you know."

Sasuke looked up at Sai.

"They didn't like me at first," Sai shrugged, "I used to think they were a bunch of naive, ignorant morons. Spoiled with their pretty, comfortable lives, thinking they had it rough when they didn't know the half of it."

They exchanged a glance.

"They all have friends and family. They all had lives of their own and childhoods, people who cared about them and raised them. They didn't have their emotions stripped away like nothing, left alone to starve because the only thing to eat was violence." Sai looked towards the sky, "I used to damn them all to hell and wish that I could be anywhere else then having to be stuck babysitting a bunch of immature idiots."

Sasuke gritted his teeth and said nothing.

"Now, I don't think I could live without them." Sai sighed, "I think if I lost even one of those people, I would feel like my own limb had been ripped off. Loosing Neji Hyuga was enough, and his loss will always be a hole in our hearts. I almost lost Naruto," he glanced at Sasuke, "And that would have been your fault. Every attitude you have from the village you deserve, not from becoming a traitor, but because you threw _them_ away."

"I don't need a lecture."

"No one is brave enough to give you one," Sai replied, "She's been in love with you for so long. Sakura is trying to pull you back into the fold and people will let you back in because they respect her. She is a powerful, beautiful woman. You'd better not rest too long, Uchiha, or you might find that someone will take her away."

He frowned, glaring at Sai, "What the hell does that mean?"

"Did you know that she's turned down multiple proposals from other village leaders?" Sai told him, "Wealthy and famous nobles and leaders that would be able to give her the life she deserved. She could have anyone she wanted, and she could have had them already. She turns them down because she waits for you."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

Sai shrugged, "Maybe not. I am pretty new to this emotions business, after all. But she will wait for you. Why? I don't know." He turned towards the restaurant with a baleful look on his face, "I guess I better get this over with."

"Why do you spend time with them when you obviously don't like it?"

The dark-haired ninja turned to him, and there was a genuine smile on his face. "Because I would rather go and be overwhelmed and stressed out than feel nothing at all." He replied, "I would rather force myself to go than be lonely. I have don't that enough that I never want to go back to the way I was. I enjoy feeling more than feeling nothing at all."

Sasuke looked away. There was something about that statement that hit him. Coming back to the village was harder than leaving it in the first place. With Orochimaru, there were still associates and people around him, even if they had all been dubious and less than reputable. Being alone was hard, but he would rather die a million times then admit it to that bastard Sai.

"I hate you, Sasuke Uchiha." Sai told him, "But, I wouldn't wish loneliness on even my worst enemy."

"What?"

"Get off your ass and get in there. I knew that you were a traitor, but I never figured out for a coward."

Sasuke glared back, and stood from the front stoop. "Fine."

They made their way towards the restaurant, and he noticed that it was strangely quiet. He followed Sai to the room in the back for large parties, and he discovered the reason.

"There's a lot of people that aren't here," Naruto told them all, "A lot of people that I wish were here. If things had been different, well, I'd see a lot less sad eyes here tonight."

He was talking about Neji, Asuma-sensei, and so many others that weren't there. Sasuke found a cup of sake pushed into his hand, and he looked down to see Sakura.

She looked up at him with an expression that made his chest hurt. Her eyes were full of sorrow and he wanted it to stop. He wanted her to stop looking so sad and trying to brush it off like it was nothing. In that moment, he realized that everyone in the room was half paying attention to him instead of listening to Naruto.

It seemed that Naruto was starting to get observant. "I, for one, like to remember those that aren't here but I'm also thankful for everyone that is."

Sakura smiled, and glanced up at Sasuke. "Cheers to that."

When he glanced back at his former classmates, everyone else had a smile. It was a strained one, but it was still honest and somehow appeased. As much as they were uneasy around him, they weren't completely against the idea of Sasuke being there. He figured that despite everything, they all had one thought in common.

They had already lost too many and didn't want to loose anymore.

Sasuke took a sip of the sake with the rest of the crowd and glanced back down at Sakura. She tugged on his arm, and he lowered himself to the floor beside her. He was tense, but it felt good to be there.

"Thanks for coming," Sakura whispered to him as the talking resumed. "I know it's hard for you, but I'm glad."

"It's not as hard as you think," he said. "I don't mind being here."

"Truly?"

She looked surprised that he was so forthcoming, and then she grinned. For a brief second, he saw the Sakura Haruno that he remembered from when they were kids. For everything that had happened, they were taking a break from it tonight and just enjoying life. Offering her a small smile back, he watched as a her cheeks turned pink, which amused him.

"Truly."


	3. Tired

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto._

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**Tired**

Sakura stretched her arms at her desk and sighed. It looked like there was rain tomorrow and she still needed to fix the corner of the roof. Last storm, she had noticed that a few of the shingles had gone bad and it was starting to leak in the attic. She wasn't too bothered by it since she loved the house and she got it for cheap, but it still needed to be fixed up.

With a groan, she leaned back in the chair. She had worked for fifteen hours in a row. There was a case of the flu going around that was keeping her busy was house calls, a baby was born last night that had been a difficult one, and one of the nins on the sparring field had fell and broken a leg. Tsunade was out of the village with Kakashi attending a conference with the local kages, so Sakura was it. Most of the medical staff was capable and talented, but there was still certain things that she knew from being Tsunade's student that other people just didn't know.

Damn roof wasn't going to fix itself.

She pulled herself out of her desk, left her coat on the rack, and left the office. Miyuki was her assistant, who greeted her at the front desk and told her to have a good night. She was a talent young woman who liked helping others, so Sakura had no problem leaving her to lead the rest of the shift.

Stopping in the market, she picked up some groceries. It had been a few weeks since the festival and Sasuke had resumed his travels. She had sent him with some provisions for the road, knowing that he usually had no trouble on his own. There was really no telling when he would be back next, but she had given him a key and told him to come and go as he please. Her home was his home.

Sasuke had seemed tense around her after that. He was still extremely polite, like he expected her to kick him out, and usually stayed out of her path while he was staying there. She got tired of telling him not to worry about that stuff and resigned to the fact that he would do as he pleased. Maybe someday he would be relaxed enough to enjoy himself at the house instead of acting like a guest.

Ruffling through her bag for the keys, she walked down the path to her house, and stopped.

There was a hammering noise. She looked up to see Sasuke kneeling on her roof. He ripped one shingle off and tossed it aside with a curse, pining another shingle down before resuming the hammering. He was shirtless and she could see the scars over his torso, his synthetic arm was wrapped in navy fabric and she could plainly see the deep grooves in his shoulder. She remembered kneeling on the rocks in the field to heal him and Naruto. She had ignored the sting on her knees, thinking only about stopping the bleeding on the man she considered a loved brother and the one she just simply loved.

"Sasuke?"

His skin was a light bronze from being outdoors, and there wasn't an ounce of fat on his body. He had never been overly muscled, but he was lithe toned and there was strength and charisma in him. In another life, if things had been different, she could have seen him as raising quickly in the ranks and becoming a well-respected ninja.

She felt her face heat up as he lowered himself from the roof and set off towards her. _Oh boy_, she thought, her face was probably the same color and the tomatoes she just bought.

"It's supposed to rain tomorrow. I remembered the last time your roof was leaking in that corner of the house."

Sakura gaped at him, "You came back to fix my roof?"

He srugged, "I was in town. Kakashi called me in to do some work for him, so I stopped by."

She stared a moment, and then sighed. Well, that was too much to hope for that he would come back specifically to see her but she was still glad that he thought of it. "I'll make some dinner for us. I'm sorry that there isn't anything already, I had a pretty long shift at the hospital."

"Don't worry about it. I'm still working so take your time."

Sakura followed him back to the house and disappeared inside. Setting the bags down, she lend against the counter and sighed. She knew she was being stupid about the whole thing, but at the moment, she was too tired to really care. Sasuke was fixing the roof, he was doing something nice, and she should just take it for face value and not dwell on it.

Kicking off her shoes, she began to put dinner together, not really paying attention to the noise outside. She had always been good at ignoring things and focusing on a specific task. She didn't want to think about Sasuke or the fact that he was half-naked on her roof.

She just wanted to make dinner and go to bed, damn it.

"Sakura?"

She shrieked and spun around. Sasuke reached out to steady her as she pitched forward into his chest.

_Oh boy._

He was warm and she could hear his heartbeat. His arms locked around her, "You're swaying at the stove, Sakura."

She didn't say anything.

Bending over, he scooped her off her feet, ignoring the surprised squeak as she latched her arms around his neck. "Wha-"

"You're exhausted, let me finish this."

"But-"

She found herself sat on the couch, and he knelt in front of her. He pressed a hand to the side of her face, "You don't have a fever." He frowned, "How long was your shift?"

"Sasuke-"

"I don't expect you to make dinner for me when you're exhausted. Let me finish cooking and then you're off to bed."

She gritted her teeth, "You can't tell me what to do, Sasuke Uchiha!"

He stared at her a moment, and then a small smile touched his face, "There's the Sakura I know, I was worried for a second," he stood, "Rest. I'll finish dinner and then clean up."

He flipped the shirt draped on the back of the chair onto his shoulder and disappeared into the kitchen. Sakura sunk into the couch and tried not to think about the fact that he was making dinner. She lend against the back of the sofa and settled. Maybe closing her eyes for a bit wasn't a bad thing, she would just wake up when dinner was ready.

"Sakura."

She jerked awake, stared sleepily at Sasuke, "Dinner is ready?"

"Are you hungry?"

She thought a moment, her eyes sliding closed, "Tired."

She found herself lifted off the couch, and she buried her face into his neck. He always smelled so good, like the woods and the clean air. Carrying her down the hallway, he shouldered the door open to her room and gently sat her on the bed. He pulled back the covers, "In."

She didn't even argue with him this time. Whatever was made, she could eat it later. Curling into the covers, Sasuke covered her up and shut the lamp off. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he stared at her a moment. Her eyes stared back at him, "Good night, Sasuke. Welcome home."

He smiled and lend forward.

Sakura watched in shock as he kissed her forehead. She could feel his lips pressing on her skin, and made herself freeze in effort not to scare him off. Brushing some hair out of her face, he stood up, "Good night, Sakura. It's good to be home."

_Home._

He shut the door behind him and she listened until she couldn't hear his footsteps anymore.


	4. Admiration

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto._

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**Admiration**

Sasuke found him at the school.

"Producing a clone of yourself in one of the key parts of the final," Naruto faced the class in the sparring hall, "If you can't produce a viable clone, you'll fail the test and you'll have to take the whole thing over."

There was a chorus of groans and whines.

"It can't be that hard!" one of the kids cried out, "Everyone says that you could do the clone jutsu, Naruto-niisan!"

Sasuke could help but chuckle at the blush that spread across Naruto's face as the blond ninja absently scratched his head, "I...might have failed the academy test a few times."

"A few times?" Sasuke leaned against the doorway, "I don't quite remember it like that. I remember someone stealing a forbidden scroll from the office of the Sandaime and learning the Shadow-Clone Jutsu."

Naruto gaped as the class laughed in the background. In the past, Naruto might have thrown a huge fit, but he only laughed, "I'll admit it. I stole it." He turned to the class, "Everyone, this is Sasuke Uchiha. We were in class together just like the rest of you."

There was instant silence in the class. Everyone knew who the Uchiha were and especially Sasuke Uchiha. He was used to the awkward silence by now and it didn't normally bother him, but it bothered him that these kids were uneasy. Naruto seemed to pick it up, "Sasuke is one of the most gifted ninjas of this time. He was at the top of his class."

"That's a lie," Sasuke grinned, "Sakura was the top of the class."

"And you hated it."

Sasuke chucked at that statement.

"We're learning sparing formations today," Naruto pulled the red scarf off his neck that Hinata had knitted and unzipped his sweatshirt. He dropped both items on the floor, "Sasuke, would you like to lend me a hand?"

That was how she found them. Sakura stood off to the side in the doorway, watching Sasuke pulled off his coat and drap it neatly over a chair. It was still amazing to watch them fight and they would always be two of the most gifted ninjas in the villages. She always heard rumors about how their class had produced some particularly fantastic nins, more so than anyone had ever expected.

"Now," Naruto flexed his shoulders, "Sparing is never about injuring the other person or even knocking them out, it's for the soul purpose of testing and practicing your skills. Sasuke and I have known each other for a long time and I know how he fights, but if it's against an unknown person, always be cautious if you're unsure of their abilities."

It still blew her mind that _Naruto Uzumaki_ was assisting in teaching classes. The very same classes that he used to make a half-assed effort in.

She watched Sasuke stand across the hall from Naruto. Kakashi had sent her to find Sasuke, intending to send them both on a mutual mission.

There was stories of a group of bandits raiding towns on the edge of Fire territory. Since the area was difficult to reach by normal means, Kakashi was concerned that the bandits were attacking aid shipments before the people could get to them. She and Sasuke would be more than enough to get rid of any bandits and she would be able to quickly access the health and status of the people in the surrounding towns.

The class sat around the perimeter of the room, absolutely focused on each movement that both men made. There was some commotion, and she realized that a few of the other teachers and students were lining the hallways and windows outside. Despite everything that had happened, it wasn't everyday the people go to watch Sasuke and Naruto fight.

They were just as graceful as they always were.

Synthetic arms meant nothing and held neither of them back. They movements were graceful and measured, careful not to make too big of a scene, but still evenly matched. The hall was big enough for practicing a whole number of fighting jutsus, and Sakura knew it was just a matter of time before they started to show off.

Raising his hand to block a fist, Sasuke bent backward to avoid a foot, planting his hands on the mat to flip himself back. Sweeping his hair behind his ear and out of the way his Sharingan and Rinnegan flashed, and he ignored the surprise whispers around him. He couldn't play around with Naruto otherwise the other ninja was overtake him easy.

"Let's step it up a bit, Sasuke," Naruto flexed his hands in the familiar kattas, "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_"

Sasuke waited for the five copies to surround him, smirking at the impressed cheers around them. He would some them something to be surprised about. If they were going with simple and what they were familiar with, he supposed to he could humor even just like Naruto.

He stepped back to avoid the first fist, shoving a knee to knock over a second clone. He took down a third just in time to avoid a kunai from the fourth clone. They were more difficult to get rid of during a sparing session instead of in real battle, but Sasuke knew that he could still make do while still showing a little flash.

He slid backwards, folded his hands, and smirked at Naruto.

"_Katon! Gōkakyū no Jutsu._"

The fire was small, controlled, and took out every single clone in one move.

Sakura grinned at the amazed exclamations from the students and impressed looks from the teachers. At the end of the day, there was nothing like watching Sasuke Uchiha fight. They may not want to like him, but they still like the way he fought.

The fire and clones disappeared, and there was a hush of silence over the room as Sasuke and Naruto faced each other. They were enjoying it, entirely too much in Sakura's opinion, and she figured that she could probably step in soon and end the fight there. Naruto may have an unending amount of chakra, and Sasuke might be highly skilled, but when it came to strength they simply couldn't compete with her.

Kakashi had told her once that she was the only person who had the ability to stop Naruto and Sasuke. He had told her to keep an eye on them and insinuated more than enough times that even though they were skilled, she was the only one with a shred of common sense among them.

"That's not good enough!" Naruto grinned, "Come on, Sasuke! You can do better than that!"

"I'm going to kick your ass, you-"

Both men found themselves grasped by the scuff of their collars and stuck in a headlock. Naruto loudly proclaimed his displeasure, while Sasuke seemed to just accept the fact that nothing he could do could free himself from Sakura's vise-grip on them.

"Now, gentlemen," Sakura laughed, ignoring the stunned lock of the crowd, "We wouldn't want to go overboard, hm?" She dropped them unceremoniously on the floor. "You've been summoned by the Hokage, Sasuke." She turned to Naruto, "And you! You've got other duties than showing off all day."

Naruto's mouth dropped open.

Sasuke watched her turn on a heel towards the door. She commanded the entire room with a few words and a look. She may not have any inclinations to become kage herself, but Sakura always had the ability to draw attention and move everyone to follow her. He admired her strength of character and convictions, and maybe even more so than himself or Naruto, her drive to better herself and be the best she possibly could be.

"Sasuke?" she held the door open.

The thought crossed his mind that she was perhaps one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen in his life.

"Coming."


	5. Dinner

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto._

* * *

**Dinner**

The orders were extremely straight forward.

Anbu corps had discovered the Mirikage village on the outskirts of the territory, completely under control of the bandits that Sasuke had been hearing about on his travels. All the information that he managed to gather pointed a group of criminals that had managed to escape during the war, easily taking over the village and using it for a hideout. Normally, Kakashi would just order the troops into the village to clean out the aggressors, but now there was an added concern that they hadn't foreseen.

A plague was sweeping through the village people.

Since Tsunade was out of contact, Sakura was being dispatched to try and figure out what the problem was. Sasuke was going to go with her as an escort, even though he knew that she was perfectly able to take care of herself. They would be going undercover, as a couple of apothecaries, in hopes that they would be able to access the full extent of the bandits and report back to the hokage. Kakashi then planned to sent in the official troops to liberate the village.

Sasuke had a bad feeling about this assignment. He couldn't quite figure out what it was, but he didn't like that his gut told him something bad was going to happen.

He slipped his shoes off on the porch and slid the door open. There was a lot to discuss before the mission, but there was a part of him that looked forward to it. It had been a long time since he had traveled with Team 7.

The door opened and Sasuke looked up to find himself staring into a set of familiar green eyes. They were intelligent and wise but absolutely unimpressed.

"Honey," Kizashi Haruno stood in his daughter's doorway, "Sasuke Uchiha is here."

"Sasuke?" Sakura looked from the kitchen. Her mother sat on the sofa in the living with a cup of tea, the look on her face very similar to her husband's.

This was not a situation Sasuke intended. Judging from Kizashi and Mebuki's feelings, they were not exactly thrilled to see the black sheep of Konohakagure in their daughter's home. Sakura blinked at him in surprise. The last thing he wanted to do was embarrass her in front of her family about the fact that he had been living in her house.

He had to get out. _Now_.

Sasuke gave them a small smile, "I have orders from the Hokage to deliver to Sakura-san. Please forgive me for interrupting." He glanced at Sakura, "I'll return tomorrow. It can wait."

"Sasuke-"

"Please, excuse me."

He stepped past the stare from her father and headed back out the door, ignoring Sakura call out to him. There was an inn in town that he could stay in for the time being, and he could return her key tomorrow. It hadn't really been a good idea to stay there in the first place. As he stepped beyond the clearing, he heard another voice call out to him.

"Uchiha."

Kizashi Haruno was an incredibly skilled ninja, credited with numerous accomplishments in the ninja world. It was no wonder to most people that Sakura had turned out to be as amazing as she was, considering she had been trained and tutored from a young age. Right now, those green eyes were trained on Sasuke.

"Young man," Kizashi scolded, "Are you living with my daughter?"

Sasuke's mouth dropped open. "Sir-"

"Someone fixed the roof and did a good job of it. You Uchihas always excelled at everything you set out to do, so I'm not too surprised. I am surprised, however, that you turned out exactly like the rest of your family."

"Sir?"

"Rude, sanctimonious, and arrogant," he said, "When someone is talking to you, you don't just turn around and ignore it like you're too good for them."

"That's not what I intended."

"Really? Because I think that my daughter is being generous to allow you to stay with her and when she is talking to you, you just turn your back on her like all the other times. Don't think for a single second that her mother and I aren't aware of the fact that you tried to kill Sakura."

Sasuke looked away and didn't even disagree with that statement. There was nothing that he could say that would erase the fact and he wasn't going to make an excuse. "That's not what I meant, sir."

"Really?"

"I didn't want to cause trouble with her. I'm aware that I already cause her trouble simply being with her, but-"

"But, what?" her father demanded, "You don't care?"

"I do care," Sasuke snapped.

That was the last thing he wanted to people to think. He didn't want people to get he impression that he didn't care about Sakura. After all the mistakes he made, that was not one he was going to fall on.

He cared about her more than he was willing to admit to himself just yet. Coming home to her after his travels was something he enjoyed. He enjoyed having someone and a place that he could call his own, someone that missed him when he was away. Aside from everything else, he knew that no matter where he went, he wasn't alone anymore.

"I care about her," he repeated, "I do care."

The silence was stifling, and all Sasuke wanted to do was get out of there before he ruined the entire evening. He knew that Sakura loved her family, and he didn't want to cast a shadow their visit. With a sigh, he bowed slightly to the elder man in order to leave, "Excuse me."

"Oh, geez," Kizashi sighed, "Don't get that pitiful look on your face, boy. We're just about to sit down to dinner. Come in."

"I couldn't possibly-"

"You live here, right? Stop complaining. The ladies spent the last hour making dinner and we shouldn't let it go to waste. Hurry along now."

"Yes, sir."

He didn't even try and fight it, allow Sasuke was sure that this would not be a pleasant experience. From what he had heard, Kizashi was more outgoing than his wife, who would probably want to flay Sasuke on the spot. Still, he couldn't find a reason to get away without offending the old man further. Slipping his shoes off once more on the porch, Sasuke found himself standing inside the house.

"Sasuke," Sakura headed towards him from the kitchen. She took his cloak and waited patiently for him to unstrap the longsword. Hanging up the cloak and resting the weapon against the wall, she tried to give him an encouraging smile before taking his hand.

Her hand was soft and she lightly drew him into the kitchen. Mebuki Haruno was at the sink, finishing the last minute dinner preparations while her husband took his seat at the table.

"These are my parents," Sakura introduced, "Mebuki and Kizashi Haruno."

"It's an honor to meet you," Sasuke bowed slightly to them.

"Sasuke Uchiha," Mebuki stood in front of him, hands on her hips. "I know who you are."

He froze.

The older woman stared at him a moment, saying nothing.

Sakura stood silent for a moment and Sasuke caught her concerned eyes. He didn't like that he was causing her to be uncomfortable or putting her in a sort unattainable position. She squeezed his hand and he realized that she was worried about him. She was worried about what her parents were going to say to him about him being there. Sakura didn't care about how it would be for her, only that he be unhappy.

He squeezed her hand back and a smile spread across her face.

"You look exhausted, young man," Mebuki told him, "Are you hungry? We made more than enough."

Sasuke stared at the older woman and then back at Sakura. She grinned at him and pulled him towards the table. It was impossible not to follow her, and he took his normal seat at the table. Sitting to his right, Sakura moved to take her hand away, but he held onto it. With a gasp that he ignored, he set their hands on his thigh and held tight onto her hand.

He wasn't going to let her get away that easily.

"I'm starving."


	6. Rain

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto._

* * *

**Rain**

Sakura stared at the books in front of her and sighed. Rain fell heavily on the windows of the temporary hut and she pulled the light blanket tightly around her shoulders. There was something about this sickness that baffled her and after staring at a samples through a scope for the last fourteen hours, her eyes were starting to hurt.

They had crept into the village under the guise of traveling apothecaries. Because they also carried alcohol and other supplies the bandits let them in without thought. Sasuke had been on high alert ever since, watching her back while Sakura moved to each home in the village to take samples. She needed to find out the antidote fast since three people had already died. The bandits would kill any ninja on site so aid from Konohakagure was completely cut off.

Right now, she was particularly worried about a little four-year old girl. Her parents had called on Sakura last night when she had arrived, and it was quite possible that little Eri wouldn't survive until the end of the week. Sakura had to find something _now_ that would treat the disease.

With a sigh, Sakura rest her elbows on the table and rubbed her eyes. Tsunade wasn't there to help her, or to give her advice, so she had to find a solution on her own.

The door opened and Sasuke came inside. He slipped his cloak off and shook the water from it. With a frown on his face, he turned to her, "Are you alright?"

"I don't know what to do," Sakura stood up and moved to the stove. She started a pot of tea, "I have another long night ahead of me."

"You should rest," Sasuke reached around her to take her hands off the pot. "I'll finish that."

"I can't stop," she said, "If I stop, then someone else might die."

"Someone might die because you can't come up with an antidote since you're so exhausted. I'm surprised you can do anything after two days without sleeping," he then frowned, "Or eating."

She shook her head, "I have to keep working."

He sighed, "Alright, then why don't you sit down and I'll make you something to eat." Sasuke didn't even wait for her to agree and steered her towards a chair at the small table. The hut they were living in was hidden at the edge of the village leader's property. It was mostly a hunting shack, but they were using it as a temporary hide-out so Sasuke could scout the bandits and Sakura could do her research.

"Sasuke, I have to save these people. I have to do it."

"You're doing everything you can. How were we supposed to know before getting her that the disease was brought here by the bandits? Most of the underground health labs had been raided, but there must have been a couple missed."

"It must have been engineered there. Tsunade-sama would know what to do. Once we get back to Konoha, I'll have to send her a report."

"Kakashi will want to send out the Anbu to find the rest of those labs. We can't have hostile groups taking control of the labs."

"We worked so hard to win the war and maintain peace with the other villages. It makes me angry that someone is trying to upset that order." Sakura told him, "And angry that someone is using a bunch of innocent people to do it."

"We'll figure it out," he said, sliding a chair over to her, "You'll find the solution. Just eat something and take a nap."

"Sasuke-"

"Twenty minutes. I'll even time it and wake you up."

She looked down, and then nodded.

"Good."

He reached a hand forward and brushed the hair from her face. Sakura flinched, and set down her tea. She wrapped her hands around his own, "You're so cold. You're one to talk for working so hard since you've been out since we got here."

"I have my part to do, just like you do."

She rubbed his hands to warm them, a ghost of a smile on her face, "What a pair we make. Stubborn, arrogant, workaholics that don't know when to stop."

Sasuke stood, "I'll make that dinner and it'll get warmer in here." He pulled the ends of the blanket securely around her and decided not to point out the fact that not only was she exhausted but she had been sitting in a cold, wet hut for hours. "Rest."

She starred at him for a moment and was so grateful for him being there that she didn't know how to describe it. Rising to her feet, there was question in his eyes that quickly turned to surprise when she grabbed the collar of his shirt. "Sakura?"

She hoped that she wasn't about to make the biggest mistake in her life. In the three years since the end of the war, they really hadn't changed that much. It was entirely possible that he would shove her off and tell her to stay away from him. Sakura hoped that wasn't the case.

She pushed herself on her toes and lightly brushed her lips to his.

For a second, he didn't move. Her hands moved from his collar and lightly held his cheeks. She didn't really press forward, only touched her lips to his. After a second of nothing, she pulled away, fully intent on laughing it off and trying to make it look like something dumb. It had been stupid to think that he really thought of his more than a friend or even share half of the feeling for her than she had for him. Her heart felt like it broke a second time when he didn't say anything.

"Sorry," she murmured, a smile on her face that didn't reach her eyes, "I was just really grateful that your doing this for me. I'm so tired right now, I think I'm ready to keel over."

"Sorry?"

"Yeah. I'm a little crazy right now-" She shrieked as she found herself lifted up and sat on the counter in the kitchen, "Sasuke!"

He gripped the back of her head, turning it to the side, and pressed his mouth to hers.

Oh god, he tasted good. His fingers dug into her hair, biting almost painfully but she didn't care. Her hands found their way to his collar again, tugging him as close as he could get. Stepping between her spread knees, his other hand pressed on her lower back, pushing her forward so they were completely pressed together. He was so warm and he smelled like rain and the woods. All she wanted to do was bury herself and never leave.

His teeth nipped her lips and when she gasped, she felt his tongue taste her mouth, and an involuntary groan sneaked past her throat. Tilting his head back, he pressed his forehead against hers. Neither of them said a word and Sakura let herself spend a moment listening to their breathing and Sasuke's heartbeat.

She jumped when the kettle went off signalling that the tea was done. For a second she thought he would push her way, but she was surprised when his arm locked around her and he leaned over to turn the kettle off. His attention turned back to her and he brushed the hair out of her face.

"Don't be sorry," he told her, "I'm not sorry."

Sakura turned her face into his shoulder and let herself relax. He wasn't angry. He wasn't shocked. He didn't seem bothered at all that she had jumped him in the kitchen.

Oh boy.

"You're exhausted." He scooped her up in his arms and moved out of the kitchen and towards the futons on the corner of the room. He set her down on the bed, pulled the sheets back, and covered her up. "Sleep," he said, his fingertips touched the side of her face, "I'll take care of things for a while. Sleep and clear your head."

"Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

She turned her head to the side and kissed the center of his palm. "I'm not sorry. Not really."

He smiled.

"You'd better wake me up in twenty minutes."

"Yes, ma'am."

He listened to her voice fade and knew she was asleep. After the two-day travel from Konoha, plus all the extra time she had been awake, Sakura was ready to drop on her feet. He hid the fact that he was truly concerned about the fact that she was so overworked, and told himself that he'd speak to Kakashi about it when they returned.

Maybe, this next time, he'd ask Sakura to go on a trip with him. She could get away from her normal duties and it would probably be fun to go exploring with someone else than alone for once.

He sat beside her until her breath evened out and then headed to the kitchen to make dinner.


	7. Beauty

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto._

* * *

**Beauty**

"Sakura!"

He watched her fight. She was glorious when she fought, full of strength and she held nothing back. In a different situation Sasuke would have thought that he could watch her fight forever.

She was small and petite, but it didn't seem to matter as she faced off against the bandits that took issue with the fact that she had just healed little Eri. Sasuke hadn't been able to stop her when she discovered the cure. She had packed up her things and ran across the town, setting up shop at the house and healing the little girl. She was a genius, everyone said. Sasuke knew the healing and her medical techniques brought her fame, but it was the way she fought that brought her beauty.

It was like a sort of dance for her. She would dodge one fist, plant an elbow into the man behind her, leap over the knee that threatened to trip her. Flipping backwards, she landed on her hands, and pushed herself to her heels. Sliding backwards, she braced herself, gathering her chakra into her hands.

"_Shannaro!_"

The earth shook and the rocks flew. Reinforcements from Konoha were already on their way, Sasuke had sent a message ahead to Kakashi in case of this very situation. Since she was a medical nin he knew that Sakura would be unable to avoid helping people in need, whether it be from sickness or danger. She would thrust herself into any situation, not caring about the danger to herself or the enemies that they fought, to help the innocent people in need. To their credit the townspeople were fighting back with all their worth and holding their own. Sasuke took some comfort in the fact that Sakura and himself were not alone on the battlefield.

He landed behind her back, drawing his sword, scanning the group around them with his Sharingan and Rinnegan. They were fools if they thought they could take on two of the most powerful leaf ninjas alive. Sasuke knew that there was no contest, except the sheer number of fighters in the bandit guild would be a problem. They could only defend so long before their strength ran out and they would be overrun. He knew they had two hours to maintain their position in the town before Konoha could reach them.

"_The village is an opening to Konoha. __We need to make sure this is taken of quickly and quietly. We don't want any else know that this is a potential way into the village._"

Words from Kakashi vibrated in Sasuke's mind as he watched the black flame ignite around his sword. There was an earth jutsu master to his left and a water master to his right that could present a problem for Sakura.

"I'll leave front to you. Don't let them into the village gates." Sasuke ordered.

"I know!" Sakura shouted back, flexing her hands, "We can't summon Katsuyu or Aoda. It could destroy the village."

"Agreed," he replied.

She flexed her hands and smiled, "Looks like I'll just have to pound them until Konoha gets here."

There was fighting all around them. Sasuke knew that if they could survive the last war, they would be able to survive anything.

The bandits rushed towards them. She drew two kunai and ran towards the bandits, "Cover me, Sasuke! I'll take down the front, but you need to protect the rear."

He watched as she raced forward and jumped into the crowd.

It was true that she was more the offensive type and her strength enabled her take out multiple people at once. She kicked the first attacker that approached her, not caring that it threw them into the crowd. Those who made it past her where simultaneous cut down by Sasuke. The villagers around him were holding their own so all he had to do was concentrate on the people in front of him.

Sakura jumped upward, slamming her fist into the ground, letting the rock bury her enemis.

Her hair was a mess and she was covered in dirt and blood. There were dozens of minor cuts all over her but it didn't seem to slow her down. Sakura flew across the battlefield like an angel and Sasuke let her consume his thoughts in order to distract himself from the chaos. He found his back pressed against hers once again and knew they were in trouble. They may be S-class nins but Sasuke knew it was only a matter of time before they ran out of chakra.

As the sun crept over the horizon, he knew that they weren't going to last for much longer.

"Sakura?" he called, deflecting the shuriken that sailed toward him, "Sakura!"

He had been so preoccupied that he hadn't realized that she was wounded.

Blood seeped from the wound in her shoulder. She had taken a kunai to her collar bone and Sasuke suspected the bone was cracked. Sakura grabbed the man in front of her and tossed him into the ground. She cried out in horror and pain as the crowd of bandits swarmed around her, and it was then that Sasuke realized that in taking the lead she had purposely placed herself in a position of the most harm.

She stumbled backwards and Sasuke watched her sink towards the ground. He abandoned his position and raced towards her, catching her before she fell. Running out of options he finally let Susanoo surround them. There were screams of horror as Sasuke let the black fire eat the blade in his hands. Using this power was dangerous as it was harder to control in such a small area but he couldn't let Sakura be hurt anymore.

They were trying to cut her down. He wouldn't allow it.

"Sasuke, stop!"

He blinked as the orange flash appeared before him, and the crowd was blown back with a flash of blue and white light. Sasuke pulled Sakura closer to him, "Naruto?"

Konoha reinforcements were appearing all around him. He couldn't stop the relief that seeped into his soul and peered back his friend. Naruto grinned, "You held on long enough, Sasuke. Let me take it from here."

Sasuke nodded. He was more than happy to let Naruto defend them. Sheathing the sword, he turned towards Sakura. Her shoulder wound was severe and she hung limply in his arms. He could tell without thinking too hard that her chakra was low and she was barely holding on.

"Sasuke?" she murmured, her eyes fixing on him.

"I've got you," he pulled some bandages from his pack and pressed them to her shoulder. "You'll be okay."

"I've got to heal-"

"No!" he roared, "You're staying still!"

She flinched and not from the tight pressure on her wound. Sasuke leaned forward to press his forehead to hers, "The reinforcements are here. Naruto is here. Everything is fine."

Sakura shook her head, her eyes filling with tears, "I have to protect you. I won't let them hurt you or the villagers. I couldn't bare it."

Sasuke didn't even care that they were in public. He pressed his lips to her forehead. He could feel the heat of the chakra at the point in her forehead and over the markings on her face. She was pouring her heart and soul into defending everyone and it was destroying her.

People were wrong. Beauty didn't have anything to do with appearance. It was the strength of soul and determination to help those in need. The will to serve and defend love ones and those weaker than oneself.

Sakura was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

"Stand down," he said. "Let me protect you now."

She stared up at him, her face pressed into his neck, "Sasuke, I-"

"Later," he said, "Later, I'll give you whatever you want. Just let me take care of you."

Listening to his steady heartbeat, Sakura smiled and finally let herself pass out.


	8. Stupid

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto._

_Just a quick note: For the holidays I have a lot going on with work and family stuff so the updates might slow for the next two weeks. Thank you for all the lovely reviews and I always look forward to reading all of them! Hang in there, and I promise updates will pick up again soon. I'm also looking into starting a set of Naruto-Hinata short stories, so hopefully those will be up and running. Thank you again for your patience and Happy Holidays!_

_\- V._

* * *

**Stupid**

She laughed and danced in the rain.

Today had been a wonderful, rewarding day. Sakura loved her job, loved helping people, and never knew how to thank Tsunade for taking her on as a student. At first it had been to improve as a ninja and help Naruto, but now it was a defining point in her life. She had the ability to help more than just her friends, she could help others in need. There were days that were hard and times that made her sad, but the happy times far outweighed the bad.

It had started pouring on the way home and Sakura had forgotten her umbrella. Her belongings were safely dry in her bag, but that wasn't much to say for the rest of her. It was warm and water would never hurt her so she took off her shoes and enjoyed the soft rain.

It had been a few months after the incident with the bandits. Instead of staying to talk with her, Sasuke had left on an assignment and hadn't returned since. She had been depressed at first, and angry that he hadn't stayed to talk with her, and then decided that maybe it was time to think about moving on in her life.

Temari and Shikamaru had married a few months ago. They had first eloped in a small ceremony, then enjoyed a huge celebration thrown my the Kazekage and the Hokage. It was the official tie between Suna and Konoha, but everyone knew that Temari and Shikamaru hadn't married for any political reasons.

Ino and Sai were dating. It was the weirdest thing that Sakura had ever seen in her life, but she was happy for them.

Naruto and Hinata were just married. Sakura had loved their wedding, loved the extravagance that Hisashi Hyuga had shown his daughter, and the amount of acceptance that the Hyuga family had given Naruto. Sakura had been concerned had first that the old traditional family would be wary of him, but she saw the amount of respect everyone had for Naruto Uzumaki and she was no longer concerned.

Everyone else had someone to be with. Sakura had a wonderful career, and great home, but she was still alone. She may be content with the way she was, but she would never be happy. She had been asked out numerous times, even had marriage proposals for officials in other villages, but she had turned them down. She was still in love with Sasuke Uchiha and a part of her would probably always love him.

Whether or not Sasuke ever felt anything significant for her...she wasn't really sure.

But, today, she wasn't going to let that bother her. Sakura fully intended on eating junk food all night, getting really drunk, and enjoying that fact that tomorrow was her day off. She had worked hard, was satisfied with all of her efforts, and was determined to relax. She wasn't going to think about stupid, bull-headed men, that didn't seem to have any scruples about messing with young women's hearts.

Stupid.

Maybe she would think about returning the call for the last guy that asked her out. He was one of the head officers in the ANBU squad. He was a really nice guy, really smart, and very easy to get along. He wasn't bad looking either-

"Sakura?"

Standing on her front porch, staring at her like she was completely insane, was Sasuke. He had come out the front door to stand under the roof when he saw her approach. "Why the hell are you walking in the rain without an umbrella?"

Her good mood instantly vanished.

Sakura stared at him and said nothing.

_Stupid. _It was the first thing she thought. Sasuke wasn't the stupid one. He was just staying at her house like she let him. Sakura knew the only stupid one was her.

"What are you doing back?"

"You're soaked," Sasuke stepped off the porch into the ran. He reached for her hand, "Come inside before you get sick."

"Why are you here?"

He scowled at that, "What do you mean?"

She yanked her hand away.

"Don't touch me."

Sasuke gaped at her in shock. She had never spoken to him in such a cold, angry tone.

"What's wrong with you?" he said, "Did something happen at work?"

"Nothing happened. I just want you to leave me alone."

Sakura went to walk around him, but he grabbed her elbow. She glared back at him and refused to back down at the look on his face. She knew that it was intimidating to have those eyes of his fixed on her. They were currently annoyed, angry, and frustrated.

"Is this about when I left after our mission?"

"It's none of your business." Sakura tried to head towards the house, "Next time, you should think about staying at the inn. I might have company over here next time, and they might get the wrong idea if you're still staying here."

That was it, she finally managed to tell him. Tomorrow, Sakura had every intention of visiting the guy she had been thinking about. Screw Sasuke and the fact that he messed around with her. He could mess with someone else.

"What did you say?"

"I said-" Sakura stood on the front steps, "I might have company. _Male company._ You can't be here."

There was silence for a second. The only thing she could hear was the rain hitting the top of her house and the trees in the woods. In a flash, he was gone. She thought for a second that the rain had fell in her eyes and she tried to blink it away. Sakura screamed out loud as she found herself scooped onto a shoulder and shoved into the front door. He kicked the door shut behind him and pinned her against the wall.

"_What the fuck are you talking about?_"

She gasped at the rage in his voice. Sakura knew that his emotions and violence had softened over the years, but there was still a part of him that was still living in the past. There was nothing she could do about it except learn to adjust to it. There were moments, however, when the dark part of his soul still took her by surprise.

"S-Sasuke, I-"

He kissed her.

Rough hands pressed her against the wall of the front entry. Sakura could barely think with the amount of feeling that crashed over her. She could easily push him away, and Sasuke knew that. There weren't many people alive that could match her raw strength. Melting under his touch, she whimpered as he grabbed the front of her shirt, and viciously ripped it apart.

She opened her mouth to yell at him, but moan as his lips pressed to her neck, his hands moving over her chest and torso. Holding her up with a knees between her legs and his hips, she let herself lean into him. Her fingers sunk into his hair, pulling it away from his face. It was damp from the rain, and she bit her lip as she watched his mouth close over her right breast. Her head dropped down and she rest her forehead in his hair.

"Wait-"

"You are mine," he murmured to her, "Understand?"

"What?"

Scooping her up, he marched through the kitchen, and down the hallway to her room. The lights were dark, but she could still see his face as he dropped her stuff in the doorway before dumping her on the bed. As he stared down at her, his eyes glowing red and pale purple, she realized that there was another expression his face. It wasn't rage or anger, it wasn't even frustration or annoyance.

It was sorrow.

"Sasuke?" she reached up and touched his face, "What...what is it?"

He turned his face into his palm, "I'm sorry, Sakura. I'm sorry I didn't stay and talk to you. I was a coward and it was shameful."

Her eyes began to sting.

"I have trouble...with feeling certain things. I have a had time trusting people and my moods are volatile at best. Even when I was young I had a hard time socializing and I have done things in my life that no one will ever forgive me for." Sasuke sighed, "Despite that, I still wanted to hope that I had some chance with you. That could at least work hard enough so I worthy to try and keep you for myself."

She was sure there were tears in her eyes now.

"The Uchiha name is tarnished and it will take years if not generations to clear and, even with that, I'm not sure it will ever be better. If you stay with me you will be seen as sympathetic, and people will start to ostracize you, and I could never allow that. You are a highly skilled ninja, extremely intelligent, and so beautiful that it sometimes hurts to look at you. I would never forgive myself if I caused people to treat you differently, treat you like anything else that you are, because of me."

Sakura stared at him for a moment. She trembled, her fingers curling around his face. Her voice was so quiet that he could barely hear her whisper. "You think I'm beautiful?"

"I want to be selfish, because I'm a selfish bastard and that's all I really know how to be. I want ask you to ignore everything and belong to me because I already belong to you."

"But-"

"Think about it well, Sakura, because there is no going back. I will respect any decision you make, and I will understand if you decide to leave for a different. But I want you to know that if you say no, there will never be anyone else for me. If you say no I will leave you alone and I will never bother you." There was a long pause, and he took a deep breath, "If you say yes..."

Sakura stared at him a moment. "What are you saying?"

"I promise I will use every bit of strength to make you happy and I will never fail you."

It was an honest statement. He didn't hide his motives or failings, and he was upfront about what he thought. She was almost happy that he didn't throw some love words at her, because she would have known that he was being untruthful. It wasn't that she thought he didn't care, but only that he would never say tell her he loved her unless he was completely confident about expressing it.

This was better then him saying he loved her. This was the honest truth.

"Your family will probably want to speak to me," he said, "If my family were alive...they would have loved you. You are a glorious, Sakura, with your strength and your intelligence. My family would have been proud to call you Uchiha and accept you as one of their own."

Now she was crying.

Sasuke brushed the tears out of her eyes. As relationships went theirs was strange and nontraditional. They had known each other for years, fought together, tried to kill each other on a few occasions, bled together, and lived together. It may not be a stable relationship but it was built on years of experience and on a bond that she knew would never break no matter what happened.

She wouldn't say she loved him either because that wasn't the point. They were beyond love and into something that was stronger and more passionate than love.

Sakura grinned and decided this was the best day of her whole damn life.

"I would have been proud to be an Uchiha too," she told him, "I would be proud to be one now."

He stared at her for a second, and then she watched a ghost of a smile spread across his face. She enjoyed the fact that it was the smile he always gave when he was in battle and winning.

"Sasuke Uchiha," She thought for a moment, "It has a nice ring to it. What do you think, Sasuke?"

The rain fell on the windows. He leaned down and pressed his mouth to hers, letting her tug the shirt off his head.

"I agree."

Best day ever.

Hell yeah.


	9. The Truth

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto._

* * *

They walked down the path, Sakura munched on dango and enjoyed Sasuke's company. After walking for two days they were resting in a port village in order to plan their next move.

Naruto had instructed them to meet up at Orochimaru's hideout in order to follow up on Sasuke's hunch that there was something still lurking in the darkness after the war. There weren't many places they could safely tap into the black market and information underground, and Naruto had figured he could exploit Sasuke's connection to Orochimaru with everything that he could.

Sakura didn't blame him. After everything that happened, Naruto probably figured that Orochimaru owed them. He kept the hideout a secret from the other hokages, and in exchange, Orochimaru gave him information. This trip would be one of their first exchanges and Sakura had been told to go with Sasuke in order to watch his back. They never trusted Orochimaru or anyone under his command, even if Sasuke seemed unconcerned.

"I still can't believe that obnoxious moron Naruto ended up being hokage," Sakura sighed. "It amazes me that he's so good at it. It felt weird taking a mission from him and not Kakashi-sensei."

"Shikamaru keeps him in line."

Sakura laughed, "And probably Hinata. She's a wonderful hokage's wife. He's so compulsive and she calms him."

"Time changes everything. It was obvious that Naruto would be hokage eventually."

"He managed to smooth over the other kages and their opinion of you."

Sasuke was silent for a moment, and then he said, "They're giving me a chance to redeem myself."

"Top secret missions that not even the Anbu can do? Sounds dangerous to me."

"It's not anything we can't handle. Don't forget that we have certain...skills that other people don't have."

That was an understatement. Their strength and skills made them a formidable team.

Sakura glanced over at the cheers. There was a wedding party over by the lake shore taking pictures and celebrating.

All of her friends were getting married. Shikamura and Temari had just been married in the biggest wedding Sakura had ever been too. It was thought that they were getting married to solidify that connections between Suna and Konoha, but the truth was that Shikamaru had finally decided that he loved his wife despite his complaints about relationships.

The bride by the lake was smiling and wearing and beautiful white kimono. Her hair was tied back in a collection of ribbons and flowers and she wrapped her arms around the waist of the groom.

It made Sakura a little sad.

Sasuke had basically moved into her house. They had an easy relationship and he finally had a home to come back to. Despite the fact that their status had remained the same for the better part of a year, she didn't push him about it. Sakura had started to expect that she would never marry, and that maybe Sasuke wanted more of a partnership between them. They had mentioned it once, but she knew better than anyone that she couldn't just marry Sasuke.

That didn't stop her from dreaming about it.

If their lives had been different, if the Uchiha family was still alive, Sakura doubted that she would have been about to have a relationship with him at all. Her family was well known and respected, but no where near the lineage of the Uchiha family. But with that thought aside, any marriage in the Uchiha family would have been formal and big. She would have worn his mother's kimono and the wedding would have gone on for days.

Even now, despite all the controversy, Sakura would have been proud to marry him. She accepted that he probably moved away from the concept because of his past, so she was content to simply be with him and enjoy their lives together.

But she would have made such a beautiful bride with that fan on her back.

Sakura sighed.

"What's the problem?" Sasuke looked up from his tea.

"Nothing," Sakura stretched, "That was a long walk. We're not getting any younger, Sasuke."

He had a small smile on his face, "I don't think we have anything to worry about quite yet."

"So, tell me about these friends of yours. You traveled with them for a while, hm?"

"Karin, Suigetsu, and Jugo. We called ourselves Taka. As long as you assume you just can trust them worth a damn, you'll be fine. I suspect you'll actually get along with them."

"A bunch of former criminals and mercenaries?"

"Yeah."

She wasn't sure how she felt about that statement.

Looking back at the wedding party, she scowled. This was a world that she didn't really understand and Sasuke had apart from her. He would always have a side to him that she wouldn't be able to touch, and she had to live with that.

She decided she didn't want to watch the wedding anymore.

"Let's go find our inn." Sakura collected her bag. "We have an early day tomorrow and I'm exhausted."

He said nothing as he followed her.

* * *

Sakura sat in front of the vanity and stared at herself in the mirror.

She was exhausted and felt like she could sleep for a week. After working double shifts at the hospital and then traveling with Sasuke, she was having trouble keeping up with everything. She was constantly dividing her time between work and missions, and even Naruto had been reluctant to put her on the current assignment after seeing how tired she was.

Sasuke came out of the shower, rubbing the towel over his hair. She stared at his reflection for a moment and then went back to staring out the window. When they got back to Konoha she would have to catch up on at least a week's worth of appointments and there would be a new group of students to train. Her life would return to the way it always was, and Sasuke would go back to his missions.

What was she doing to herself?

"What's bothering you?"

His hands rest on her shoulders. Sakura sighed, "It's that obvious?"

"You've been working hard lately and I know I haven't been around much."

"You have to go on these missions. No one else can do them, I understand."

His whole boy went stiff, and then he frowned. "You shouldn't have to work so hard. You shouldn't have to do it alone."

"Sometimes, we have to just deal with things. Even if it's not the way we want it."

Sasuke frowned like he was unhappy with her answer. He pulled her to her feet, "You think I don't worry about you when I'm away? If we had a normal relationship I could stay by your side all the time and you wouldn't be so tired. I know that this mission was difficult for you."

"It's never difficult for me to spend time with you."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder.

"I know it can't be easy," he sighed, "I'm not exactly everyone's favorite person."

"You're _my_ favorite person."

She gasped as he scooped her up and set her in bed. Turning down the lights he pulled off his robe and dropped it on a chair. Sakura moved over to give him space, and Sasuke rolled over on his side to stare down at her. His strange eyes were always interesting to look into. She knew that sometimes he had vicious headaches, but he had started to overcome them in the last year or so. She suspected that mastering the Sharingan powers in a short amount of time had taken a toll on him initially, and it had taken his mind and eyes a while to adjust.

He blinked and red eyes glowed at her in the dark.

"You're chakra is troubled. Tell me what's bothering you, Sakura."

"I can never hide anything from you. It's awfully annoying."

"You knew that would happen when you threw your lot in with me."

"I did, hm?"

He reached down and brushed the hair from her face. Sakura side and simply enjoyed being with him. She didn't want to tell him the truth. She didn't want him to know that she secretly dreamed about marrying him and being his wife. She didn't care that their life wasn't glamorous, she didn't even care that their time was so full and chaotic. All she cared about was that at the end of the day he belonged to her.

She was never really quite sure if he knew she belonged to him. He was it for her. If they never married, she would would never marry anyone else. If he decided that he would never come back, she would live her life alone and have to be content because she loved him.

She didn't want him to know the truth so she made something up.

"I'm curious about tomorrow and meeting your old...colleagues. I'm not sure it was a good idea for me to come." The smile that quirked over her lips was small and sad. "I don't want to cramp your style, after all. You spent such a long time with them and I'll be a stranger. I'll hold you back."

"You never hold me back."

Sakura touched his face. She wanted to tell him what was bothering her and she knew she couldn't lie to him for long. It was impossible to hide anything from his eyes.

"I'm tired, Sasuke. I need to sleep."

He sighed, "Alright then." Curling up with her, Sakura found her back pressed against his front, his arms wrapped around her. Sasuke pressed his nose into her hair, "Sleep. We have a big day tomorrow."

_A big day. _A big day of missions and negotiations. She would be on high alert and watching her back and Sasuke's all day.

"Go to sleep Sakura."

"Kay."

* * *

There was a knock at the door.

Sakura opened her eyes and found herself alone in bed. She closed her eyes and buried her face in the pillow. Sometimes on missions, Sasuke would wake up in the mornings and bring breakfast back to their inn. He would be able to let himself back in so it had to be the cleaning lady. They had the room for three days and if Sakura didn't let her in maybe she would come back later.

She still had another hour to sleep.

The knocking persisted.

Sakura groaned and finally sat up. Combing her fingers into her hair, she shuffled out of bed and towards the door. "Just a second."

Sasuke's robe was close by so she pulled it around her shoulders like a blanket. Whatever the cleaning lady wanted she hoped it was quick so she could go back to bed. Unlocking the door, Sakura slid it open, "Can I help you?"

It wasn't the cleaning lady. The young woman wore red glasses and had red hair. There was a attitude on her face and she had a garment bag resting over her arm. "Girl, you look like you go ran over by a bunch of horses."

Sakura scowled, "Excuse me?"

"We don't have a lot of time so we have to get your ass in gear." She had to step back as the woman came into the room and shut the door. Pulling the robe off her, she pulled Sakura into the bathroom. "Get in the shower. We have to fix your face so you don't look like a ghoul."

Sakura squeaked as the strange woman turned on the water and started to strip her, "What the hell is going on?!"

"I'm a medical nin, sweetie. Trust me, it's nothing I haven't seen already."

"But-" Sakura found herself shoved in the shower and the garment bag was hung up on the wall. "What's going on?"

Another small bag was sitting on the counter, "Sasuke told me that you didn't bring a lot with you so I brought make up. You've got fair skin, but I think I should have something that'll work."

Without much else to do, Sakura washed her hair. "I don't understand what's going on. Where's Sasuke and who are you-"

"I brought breakfast too. No worries, girlie. We've only got twenty minutes so hurry the heck up."

Sakura barely had time to wrap the towel around herself but she was pulled out of the shower. "Who-"

"Karin."

She stared at Karin a moment and then she pulled herself free and backed away.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Sakura stepped towards the door, "Where's Sasuke?"

"Sasuke told me to come get you. After all, he can't see you yet," Karin grinned, "That's quite the vicious look you've got on your face. Man, you must give him a run for his money. He deserves that, the arrogant bastard."

Sakura slammed her hand on the counter, not caring that she cracked in the marble, "Tell me what's going on!"

Karin reached over to the garment back and pulled the zipper down. She chuckled, "This might clear things up a bit."

Sakura felt her heart stop.

There was a beautiful silk kimono with a red fan printed on the back. The obi was covered in fine lace and it was so beautiful that Sakura couldn't stop herself from touching it. "What is this?"

"He's been planning it for a while. Sasuke and the Hokage. He needed a little help because apparently you're too smart for you're own good. There was still a danger if people knew that you were tied to him so he needed to find a safe place to protect you. Sasuke was worried that if this was anything big, it would attract the wrong sort of attention."

"B-But, this is-"

"You're getting married, sweetie. We've got twenty minutes until the Hokage gets here and then it's go time."

Sakura stared at the kimono and she couldn't help the tears streaming down her cheeks. She looked at Karin and pressed a hand to her face, "That bastard, I'm going to kill him for planning this behind my back."

"Tell me about it." Karin pulled out a tissue, "No crying, it'll make it difficult to get the make up on. I had to wake up at the ass-crack of dawn and get all the shit ready at the last minute. Stupid ass didn't think to include me in his little plans when he decided that he needed me to get you together."

Karin reached forward and pressed the tissue to her face, "Don't cry. You're getting married today, girlie."

Sakura stared at her and then smiled, "I'm getting married."

"Yup."

Karin dabbed the tears off her cheeks. Sakura then chuckled, "Oh man, I'm going to kick Sasuke's ass for this. And Naruto. If they thought they were afraid of me before they won't know what hit them."

The other woman laughed, "You know what? I think I like you," Karin held out a hand, "My name is Karin, and I'm your maid of honor for today. It's nice to finally meet you. Will you give them a good sock in the face for me too, love?"

Sakura stared at Karin's hand and then smiled, "I'm Sakura. I can absolutely do that and thanks for doing all this."

"It's no problem. You want to pay me back, you promise me you don't make it easy for him."

"I absolutely promise."

"Come on, girl, let's get you married."


End file.
